Coffs Harbour suburbs with the most apartments

The suburb of Coffs Harbour tops the ranking, where 20.6% of occupied dwellings are flats or apartments (2,201 of them). Sawtell and Toormina follow.

This page ranks Coffs Harbour suburbs by the share of occupied private dwellings that are flats or apartments at the 2021 Census. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are ranked.

The median Australian suburb has almost no apartments at all — 1.3% of dwellings, measured across a 1,238-suburb sample in September 2026 — so this ranking separates its subjects rather than sorting noise: the top of the list runs past 90%. It counts dwellings, not buildings and not people, and it describes what is there rather than what may be built. The zoning that governs the latter is on each suburb page.

Coffs Harbour suburbs with the most apartments

Ranked by the share of occupied private dwellings that are flats or apartments at the 2021 Census, among suburbs with at least 2,000 residents.

1

Coffs Harbour

NSW 2450 · 27,089 residents

20.6% of dwellings are apartments · 2,201 flats

C 100.0
2

Sawtell

NSW 2452 · 3,788 residents

16.7% of dwellings are apartments · 260 flats

C 80.0
3

Toormina

NSW 2452 · 6,171 residents

10.4% of dwellings are apartments · 259 flats

C 60.0
4

Sapphire Beach

NSW 2450 · 2,660 residents

7.4% of dwellings are apartments · 72 flats

C 40.0
5

Boambee East

NSW 2452 · 5,304 residents

3.8% of dwellings are apartments · 77 flats

C 20.0
6

Woolgoolga

NSW 2456 · 6,151 residents

3.4% of dwellings are apartments · 79 flats

D 0.0

Ranked from 6 qualifying suburbs.

How we ranked these

100% share of occupied private dwellings recorded as a flat or apartment in the 2021 Census, divided by all occupied private dwellings and percentile-ranked within Coffs Harbour's candidate pool. It counts dwellings, not buildings and not people, and it describes what stands there rather than what may be built — the planning zones that govern the latter are on each suburb page. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents qualify, and the larger absolute number of apartments breaks ties. Descriptive ABS Census data, not a recommendation. See how we calculate for the full methodology.

Common questions about this ranking

What are the coffs Harbour suburbs with the most apartments?

The suburb of Coffs Harbour tops the ranking, where 20.6% of occupied dwellings are flats or apartments (2,201 of them). Sawtell and Toormina follow.

How is this ranking put together?

Each Coffs Harbour suburb is ranked by the share of its occupied private dwellings recorded as a flat or apartment in the 2021 Census, divided by all occupied private dwellings. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are included, and percentile ranks are computed within Coffs Harbour's pool.

Does this mean the suburb allows apartments?

No. This counts what stands there now. What may be built is set by the planning zones, which are a separate thing and are shown on each suburb page as a share of the suburb's area.

Is a townhouse an apartment here?

No. The Census separates flats and apartments from semi-detached, row, terrace and townhouse dwellings, and only the first group is counted. Separate houses are not counted either.

How current is it?

The figures are from the 2021 Census, the most recent available until results from the August 2026 Census are released in 2027. The top 15 is recomputed whenever we refresh the census data.

Same list in other cities

Related

Rankings last computed 12 October 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.

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